Modern Mayans More Concerned About Environmental Problems Than Calendar Ending

By this point, regarding apocalyptic predictions of the ending of the Mayan long-count calendar’s grand cycle later this year, you’re probably either a) sick and tired of hearing about it, b) already tucked away in a survival shelter clutching your rifle, or c) scratching you’re head and muttering “Mayan, calendar, ending, huh?”.

But what about actual modern-day Mayans?

It turns out that the descendants of the ancient Mayans are far more concerned about current environmental problems than they are about their old calendar.

Antonio Mendoza, of Mayan activist group Oxlajuj Ajpop:

There are leaders who let themselves be carried away by what they hear…and they are worried that a catastrophe will happen, but none of that is true.

What does cause us a great deal of concern is how to bring people together in the effort to refocus our behavior with respect to nature, global warming, and the neoliberal policies that only extract oil and minerals and install large factories, posing a serious threat to humanity. … The idea [behind Mayan organizations in Guatemala coming together in 2012] is to come together in unity and solidarity and salvage the valuable Maya knowledge about nature and Mother Earth.